Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-15

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have a bicycle that you are no longer using. You would like to sell it to a friend.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
• explain why you are no longer using your bicycle.
• describe your bicycle.
• explain why you think your friend would like to have it.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Nia,

I hope you are doing well. Recently, talking to my mother I got to know that you are looking for a bike, because your bike is broken and no longer can be repaired whereas, buying a new one is little expensive with numbers of features that are unnecessary for daily use purposes.

I have a bike similar to your old bike that is not being used for a long period as my work is out of city, so I travel to work by public transport which is convenient and cheaper means of transport. However, I believe you would be my best choice for selling my bike. If you are interested you can take it today from my porch for $20 that you can pay later.

I hope you will consider the offer and buy the bike from me, rather than getting it from a shop. Waiting for your reply.

Regards

Anni

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You explained why you are no longer using the bike (work location and public transport), described the bike (similar to her old one), and provided a reason why she would like it (it is a cost-effective alternative to buying a new one). However, the description of the bicycle is quite vague; simply stating it is 'similar to your old bike' lacks the specific detail required to fully develop the idea. To reach a higher band, you should include more descriptive features such as the color, type, or condition of the bike.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the reason for writing to the description and finally the offer. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate these ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical. For example, the transition 'whereas, buying a new one is little expensive' is slightly awkward and could be improved with better linking words. The referencing is generally clear, and the tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a consistent informal register throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'convenient and cheaper means of transport' and 'consider the offer' are appropriate. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'with numbers of features' (should be 'with a number of features') and 'work is out of city' (should be 'work is out of town' or 'outside the city'). These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the vocabulary from being considered flexible or precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips. For instance, 'Recently, talking to my mother I got to know' is a bit clunky, and 'no longer can be repaired' should be 'can no longer be repaired'. Additionally, 'is little expensive' requires an article ('a little expensive'). Despite these errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the punctuation is used correctly to support the flow of the letter.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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